The Kent History Forum
Aviation History => Miscellaneous Aviation History => Topic started by: Dave Smith on May 06, 2020, 10:57:16 PM
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StuartW. You mentioned that they shared the bunker with H Q Nor Command. I can find no details in Google but would specifically like to know whether there was an RAF Gillingham in 1930 please?
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Don't believe false modesty. If the Sergeant was part of an SLU then the work was highly important and very sensitive. Enigma decrypts were distributed to certain select people and from them intelligence reports for commanders in the field were prepared. This may seem round-about, but the fact we had the decrypts (known as "Ultra") was itself one of the greatest secrets. Intelligence had to appear to have come from sources such as spying, traitors and RAF photographic missions. The obfuscated reports were distributed by secure encrypted means to the SLUs who passed them to the senior officers concerned.
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Hi MartinR, there wouldn't have been anything from 1930 for RAF Gillingham, the bunker itself was built in 1938.
A small correction, it was No.16 Group RAF Coastal Command, not 19 Group.
More information about the bunker and the units based there is here:
https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/hms-wildfire/ (https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/hms-wildfire/)
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Its a long shot, see if any members had a father, brother, or uncle, who worked for the post office,
at that time. We Chatham telegram boys, had access to many places, in Chatham. We never had
deliveries, in Gillingham, so telegram boys there, may have a telegram or two, for your bunker.
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The date on the report Grandarog found was 1946. AFAIK there were no SLUs prior to the development of Ultra and the need to hide its origins. Until needed there'd be no SCU or Typex and certainly no crytomat. Your point about 1930-1938 is perfectly valid.